Rising basketball player Tommy Kostbade’s summer off to a terrific start on the course and at the beach

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Just as he was heating up from 3-point range, rising junior guard Cooper Huwig sprained his ankle, so Chesterton was going to have to win its summer league game against a quick, fiery, physical Lighthouse Academy down a starter.
Time for Huwig’s classmate Tommy Kostbade to show that his transition from nationally ranked swimmer to basketball player had reached its destination.
And that’s exactly what Kostbade did, showing strength and toughness to complement his soft shooting touch and natural speed and explosiveness.
The final score of Chesterton 50, Lighthouse 41 didn’t matter because summer records don’t count, but the way the Trojans’ three most improved players, Kostbade, fellow junior Bradly Basila and senior point guard Tobias Ray, played down the stretch bodes well for the Trojans’ chances of defending their sectional title and not stopping there this coming winter.
“I really love the intensity,” Kostbade said afterward. “I love when people start talking. Obviously, I shouldn’t talk back, but I love it when it’s chippy and the game’s intense and it’s heated and every play counts.”
It showed. Asked to talk about the improvement of teammates without hearing which ones, Kostbade immediately launched into addressing Ray, who looked quicker and slicker, and Basila, who looked stronger and more under control and decisive.
“TJ, I think his court vision from last year was great, but this year it’s even better and he’s calmer with the ball and he’s doing a great job,” Kostbade started. “Bradly’s doing an outstanding job finishing around the basket and it’s helping us a lot because he’s bringing the whole defense in and he’s making the right plays and as long as he keeps doing that, he’s doing great.”
Like Huwig a lethal 3-point shooter, Ray repeatedly blasted past his defender and made perfectly timed underhanded deliveries to a finisher in a Chesterton lineup that featured three big men on the floor at the same time, including senior enforcer Gunner Ello.
Basila dominated the boards by rebounding inside and outside his area.
“I can’t even explain how much improvement Bradly's made from when first came here to now,” Kostbade said. “When he got here he couldn’t even make a layup. Now he’s finishing better than ever. It helps all of us in so many ways. He’s worked so hard. There are so many hours that he’s in the gym that people don’t see. He loves this more than anything. Everything he talks about is basketball, basketball, basketball. He’s just a great teammate to have.”
Based on last season’s listed heights, Chesterton’s starting lineup for next season measures 6-7, 6-6, 6-4 across the front.
“I like how it’s a really big lineup and it’s hard to rebound against and I think that’s important,” Kostbade said. “We’ve all gotten stronger and more physical and we’ve worked really hard in the weight room.”
For sheer strength and bulk, Ello ranks at the top of the frontline, so even though he is not nearly as skilled, not nearly the finisher that Basila and Kostbade are, makes him a good fit.
“Gunner is like a spark on the team. We’ve gotten really close and I think me and him playing together is great,” Kostbade said. “He makes winning plays. He’s big. He doesn’t take anything from anybody, so I think that’s big for him.”
In Chesterton’s first summer game on Tuesday, a rout over Century 21, Kostbade nailed five 3-point shots and made a couple of them in the second half of the Lighthouse game as well.
Kostbade’s tan reveals that he hasn’t spent all his time in the gym honing his shot.
“I’m a big beach person,” Kostbade said. “I love staying active. I love going on the boat. I love skiing, wake surfing, I just love being outside. It keeps me active. I love doing that.”
When he’s not on the beach or sleeping, there’s a good chance he’s putting up shots on the refurbished floor of Chesterton’s gym.
“I used to just love to dunk, but now I’m working on my shot all the time,” Kostbade said. “It’s something that I put a lot into and I think if I can shoot the ball really well it’ll help me get more open on drives because people will press up on me. So I work on my shot all the time by myself and work on form shots.”
He explained one example of a form shot: resting the basketball on the palm of the shooting hand, flipping it around and using the proper shooting mechanics, with elbow tucked, and following through with a flip of the wrist, emphasizing the index and middle fingers.
Four of the five starters’ shots looked smooth Tuesday and Ello doesn’t shoot outside shots. Huwig’s brother, incoming freshman Tate, looked comfortable and confident beyond his years playing with the varsity and helped the team weather the storm of losing Cooper for the night. The long and lean Tate complements his bouncy, athletic gait with a smooth lefty stroke.
Picking up the game young, Tate doesn’t carry the uncertainty born of coming to the game late that dogged Kostbade at the same age.
“Freshman, I wasn’t confident at all. Sophomore, I had times where I wasn’t confident at all,” Kostbade said. “Last year, I felt like if I missed a shot, I was gone. I was in my head. This year, I’m thinking about the next play because I can’t do anything about what’s just happened. I feel like when I have confidence, nothing can get in my way.”
Kostbade’s enhanced feel for the game has enabled him to replace frustration with passion.
“I’ve worked really, really hard to get where I am,” he said. “I’ve been behind all these kids. A lot of it’s been hard. It’s been a long journey and now I feel like I’m proud of every part of my game.”
Individual growth has enabled him to look outward more and he likes what that has done for him and the team.
“I’m more into it and more connected to everyone,” he said, “and I’m having more fun than I ever have.”